The torque curve and the five-speeder's gearing are dialed in for good around-town acceleration so that the 2,363-pound minicar happily scoots from stoplight to stoplight in a way that feels pretty frisky—that is, until you look out the window to see yourself being passed by UPS trucks.

A guy in the raspberry business from western Serbia smashes and grabs his way through a heist eight time zones away in Tokyo and scoots off past shopping centers and sushi bars with a $31-million necklace known as the Countess of Vendome.